Prefabricated modular building panels are well known. In some versions they include a pair of metal sheets with an insulating polymer foam core sandwiched between the sheets. Various panels of this type have been used for cladding material on buildings having a conventional load bearing frame structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,485 discloses a modified version of such a building panel that is itself made load bearing through the inclusion of a central rib member that connects between the two metallic sheets extending the length of the panel. This feature obviates the need for a conventional frame structure.
The building panel disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,485, however, has a number of disadvantages. For one thing, no accommodation is made for plumbing or electrical components; recesses must be cut into the interior side of the building panel to accommodate such components.
Another disadvantage is that the central location of the structural rib interferes with easy, efficient and uniform spray application of the insulating foam.
A further disadvantage relates to the overall dimension of the building panel, which does not correspond to standard dimensions for installation of interior finishing materials such as drywall.
Yet another disadvantage relates to the means for fixing the panels to a base such as a floor or pad in a manner that avoids stresses that can tend to separate the outer sheets from the interior foam.
In addition, the building panels disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,485 readily slide upon each other when they are stacked, which can lead to difficulties in their handling and the quality of their delivery to building sites.